Consume (The Devoured Series) (6 page)

Five

She laughed differently now, as if some weight was no longer bearing down on her. I smiled at her. Goth was just dandy, but she needed to be who she was and stop hiding to distract others from what was going on. I wondered if anyone at school even knew that she'd been sick.

I knew that Eli would be there to walk us to school once we finished our breakfast, and wasn't surprised a bit when we came outside and found him standing there leaning against the tree in my front yard. He smiled and then cocked his head to the side as we made our way to him.

"Is it opposite day and I didn't get the memo?"

"Nope," I answered and reached up to kiss him. "We're just trying some different things."

"Well," his eyes took me in, toe to head and back again, "you both look very pretty, and I'm not just saying that."

"Thanks, babe," I said. He looked at me as he grabbed my hand and smiled at my endearment.

"Anytime, love."

I bit my lip.

Ariel starting making gagging noises so we both turned to look at her. "Ugh, don't make me barf on my new shoes before we even get to school," she said and laughed as I almost tripped over her ridiculous boots.

"Whoa," Eli spouted as he grabbed my arm, "careful."

"I can't believe you wore these every day, Ariel," I grumbled.

"It takes a learning curve," she replied happily.

As she walked a little ahead of us, Eli leaned over to me. "So, how do you feel this morning?"

"Great. You were right."

He sighed, like he'd been worried about it. "Good. That's good."

We walked, slightly swinging our arms as we crossed the quad at school. I didn't need to go to my locker, so after I waved to Ariel, and gave her a brave smile to encourage her, we went and stood in front of my homeroom. Eli leaned in to me, forcing me to the wall.

"So what's really going on with the getup?" he asked as he eyed my boots once more.

"I just wanted Ariel to feel comfortable. She wanted to try something new…or old, I should say." He frowned, his eyebrow piercing twinkling under the lights of the hall, so I went on. "She hasn't always been like this, but she got sick. Leukemia."

"Oh," he said as if that explained it all. "Well, things like that change people."

"Yeah. So, she wanted to try to be her old self again."

He nodded and said, "And you dressed like this to make her feel more comfortable. I get it." He leaned in and kissed my cheek, speaking his words against my skin. "Wow, that was really sweet of you."

"For a girl who was so self absorbed and concerned about what others thought before, right?" I said begrudged. Eli hadn't said it, but I thought for sure he was thinking it.

"Nope. Just sweet." I sighed and looked around the hall. A few people gave me weird looks or sneers even, but for the most part, no one seemed to care.

"That's the thing about forgiveness…and redemption." His smile said he knew what he was talking about. "What you did before doesn't matter anymore, right?"

He looked at me and waited for me to disagree. If I did, that meant that I thought that all of the things that he'd done - all the things I said didn't matter - that the forgiveness was moot.

"It's not moot," I muttered.

"What?"

I grabbed his face in between my hands. "It's not moot!"

He smiled, while bunching his brow in confusion. "All right. It's not moot."

"You're right. Thank you."

"Ok," he agreed reluctantly and let me pull him to me. I kissed him like the sun would boil us into oblivion as any moment. I kissed him as if this was my final breath. I felt his hands slam into the wall behind us to keep us from falling as I breathed him in deep, and when I pulled away he stood with a stunned and all too familiar needful expression on his face.

I let his face go from between my hands and wanted to smile as I turned for my class, but instead just watched him watch me as I slid into my classroom, leaving him in a stunned stupor in the hall.

I giggled silently all the way to my seat.

~ ~ ~

I met Ariel at her locker before lunch. She was anxious and fidgeting with the buttons of her vest as she stared into her locker. I waved a hand in front of her face and she jumped and squeaked.

"Oh, sorry," she said.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing," she answered too quickly.

"Nothing, huh?" I muttered and fit the pieces together in my mind. It was right before lunch and Ariel had no classes with Patrick. This was the only time of day she saw him. "I'm calling bullcrap on that one."

She sighed in defeat and said, "It's stupid that I care so much what he thinks." She looked at me. "He barely knows I exist outside of our group."

"That's not true. You're friends. He'll notice this. I guarantee it."

"Ok, come on. I'm starving and it's better to get it over with. Just like a band-aid."

I linked my arm with hers and practically dragged my feet in the massive boots to the cafeteria. I figured Eli would be waiting there for me, but Ariel needed someone right now. And if Patrick pulled the idiot card and made her cry with his lack of noticing, I'd hurt him. Or get Eli to, whichever.

"Ok, big moment," she breathed as we rounded the last corner and then shook her head. "It's not even that big of a change. It's not a big deal."

"You're fine on many levels," I joked. "Smokin'."

She laughed. "Thanks."

Eli was waiting and smiled at us when he saw us coming. "Hey."

"Hey, you," I replied and grinned as I walked passed him.

He chuckled behind us and jogged to catch up. I linked my arm with his, too. "Are we off to see the wizard?"

Ariel and I laughed, catching the attention of the lunchroom who watched us. I was tempted to flip them off, but knew my mother looking down on me would not approve. I pulled Ariel to our table first and set our stuff down. Eli put his hands on my hips from behind to guide me to the lunch line, as was customary, and we began to make our way. But I heard Ariel's groan beside me.

We turned to see Patrick walking in with Sarah. She was trying to stifle a giggle and he was hiding a smile. She winked as she walked away to her table and he came to ours, but not before one last glance. That glance was the final twist in the knife for Ariel.

She started to bolt, but he was blocking the way in between the tables and there was nowhere else to go. He smiled as he came and then slowed his advance. "Whoa. Looky here."

"Shut up," she muttered. I could tell all of the charisma and confidence she had two seconds ago had been sucked out of the room, just like that.

"She's totally hot, right?" I asked him and went to her side, linking my arm through hers. "I can't wait for your hair to grow out."

"You're growing your hair out? Why?" he asked and then looked at me. "And why are you dressed like that?" He seemed almost angry. I was confused. Ariel shied away from him into my side. "Answer me, Ariel," he said softly. "Why are you dressed like that? Clara shouldn't have made you feel like you weren't good enough." He eyed me. "That's was a really crappy thing to do, Hopkins."

"This was my decision," she cut in. "I wanted to be the old me again."

"The old you? There's only ever been
you
. You never changed. Maybe your clothes did, but you never did."

I realized they'd been friends for a long time then. I wondered if he knew about her being sick.

"I was different," she argued. "I was completely different. I want to be that girl again. The girl who could wear whatever she wanted and it didn't matter. She was pretty and happy and…"

He glared at me once more. "What did you say to her? I know she slept over last night. What did you do?"

"Nothing!" she shrieked at him. "She didn't tell me anything. I can make up my own mind, you know."

He eyed her shoes. "So why did you decide to go all
cool table
on us then?"

"Ahg! I'm so done." She stomped off and it was my turn to glare at Pat.

"What?" he defended. "I was trying to help her see that she didn't need to wear your stupid shoes to fit in."

"She's not trying to fit in, you idiot," I chastised softy. "She's trying to remember who she was before she got sick."

"Got sick? She got sick at your house last night?"

He didn't know… Yikes. That's a big cat to let out of the bag. I looked away, but still saw his wheels turning.

He cursed. "I knew something was going on. I knew it. She always said it wasn't, but…"

"She's in remission," I offered.

"So the whole…piercings and hair and clothes was to hide her being sick?" I nodded. "And she wants to go back to being
normal
again because that's really what she was all along and this was just a front," he said, not phrasing it as a question because it no longer was.

I nodded again."Yep."

"But why was she so scared then? She looked like she was about to throw up. That's why I thought you were pushing her into it. If she was really wanting to change, she wouldn't be so upset-"

"Idiot!" I said again and laughed. "You're such a guy."

He took a deep breath and stuck his hands into his pockets. Then it hit him and I saw it take him over. He grimaced and then looked at me in question. I nodded. "Yes, Pat. You're a jackass."

"I
am
a jackass." He rubbed his head. "I always wondered. I mean…we both had a crush on each other and went on a couple of dates and then she just stopped…being interested. Oh, crap." He grabbed his head. "That's when she got sick! That's when she cut her hair and missed so much school and I thought she was just over me, like I was a phase." He shook his head. "I thought she wanted to just be friends. Ah, man. I'm such a jackass."
"We've established that, Pat." I grinned. "Now put some feet to the pavement."

He took off after her. Our other lunch buddies came and asked what was going on. I just waved them off and dragged Eli to the lunch line. It was pizza day, so I resorted to the salad bar.

It was when we were laughing about something later that I felt hands on my shoulders. Eli was sitting next to me, so it could only be one other person. "Tate, don't-" I started, but when I turned it wasn't Tate I saw, it was Finn…and Enoch was standing by the door.

"Hello again, lovely," he sneered at me and then looked at Eli, who was stunned silent, but still wrapping his arm around me in protection as he stared at him. "Come with us outside and nothing happens to the feelers. Just you though. The girl stays."

Six

"Finn, what are you doing?" Eli asked him.

"Saving your life."

Eli scoffed, but gulped as we stood and he pulled me behind him. "What's this about?"

"Hey," Dee interrupted. "Who's this?" she asked of Finn. No one answered her and she huffed. "Well? New guy? What's your name?"

"My name's
get lost
," he spouted.

She shrieked and Tate wasn't far behind. "What's going on?" He looked at me. "You ok? What's going on, Clara?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, buddy," Finn said and patted Tate on the arm. "Now run along."